Comments on: Mophie Juice Pack Review

By: Smythe Richbourg

Smythe Richbourg — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:45:08 +0000

Not a problem. The similar product names are a bit confusing.

By: Fernando

Fernando — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 07:06:49 +0000

Sorry everyone, I just realized the mophie juice pack doesn’t have an on/off switch. The Mophie juice pack air has the on/off switch. I guess we don’t really have a choice with the mophie juice pack, it just drains itself before draining the iphone battery.

By: Fernando

Fernando — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 07:01:35 +0000

So what is the consensus on the best way to use the mophie? Do we just turn it on once our iphone drops below 20% or do we leave the mophie on all the time and once the mophie charge drops it then switches to the iphone battery. Then charge both batts at the end of the day?

By: iPhone Case-Mate Fuel Rechargable Battery Pack Review — The Gadgeteer

iPhone Case-Mate Fuel Rechargable Battery Pack Review — The Gadgeteer — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:45:08 +0000

[...] the Mophie Juice Pack, this case is a sled that accepts the specified iPhone perfectly, tightly holding it to the [...]

By: Phil

Phil — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:10:54 +0000

I also wanted to add my 2 cents regarding the Mophie Juice Pack. My wife works as a radiation oncologist and spends a LOT of time in hardened environments. That means the radios are working extra-hard, sometimes in constant “search” mode. THAT wears a battery down. Additionally, she’s a pretty heavy user. Often, she will need to recharge the phone within a few hours of having it fully charged.

The Mophie has been an excellent solution although, in her case, we have noted that a fully-charged Mophie does not work well as an attachable in-use charger. So, she pretty much keeps the iPhone in the Mophie constantly, and charges them both at the same time.

By: Smythe Richbourg

Smythe Richbourg — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:24:54 +0000

@Michael – I based the caution on several comments from others about leaving batteries “on charge”, but on further reflection, I think you’re correct – it’s not bad for the devices, but it runs counter to some battery management recommendations. I do notice that when it’s charging, there is a heat build-up.

@Sabastien – We all have our own “budget v. priorities” rules, and they are as unique as our fingerprints. Even with the case issue, though, I’ve had this thing save my bacon a time or two, and been glad to have it. Some apps will make a network connection, and if you just turn the iPhone off, they will continue to poll the network, or continue running the GPS, and suddenly you have very little battery left before a long call you need to be on. I have a sleeve in my bag for an MP3 player that I now use for the Juice Pack. I also park the case there while my iPhone’s charging in the Mophie. It depends on how much you use/need your phone, and how long you are between times you can recharge in other ways, I guess.
I saw the RichardSolo 1200 version when it was released, and a few folks I know have tried it, but the huge increase in size of adding another piece to the bottom (not to mention the weakness of the connection) kept me from investing in one. Maybe I’ll try the 1800 as part of this series. I have two others in the pipeline currently.

By: Sebastien

Sebastien — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:14:39 +0000

Hi, I agree with Michael above. Paying a hundred bucks for something that is just a temporary recharging device that has the form factor of a full iPhone sounds silly to me. One that requires removing the used case is even more unpractical…

Now something like the RichardSolo 1800 (http://richardsolo.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=326) sounds like a better solution: it allows for using it while connected, can be recharge by the regular car charger simultaneously as the iPhone, and can serve as a laser pointer or even a flashlight! All of this without impeding the use of a regular iPhone case… And if I

My 2 cents!

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:53:20 +0000

Nice review, of a nice product. One note: the review states that “You may be tempted to leave your iPhone in the battery pack all the time, but that’s not recommended. Neither the internal battery or the ones in the Juice Pack are designed to constantly be under charge.”

I’ve been using a Mophie Juicepack with my 1st generation iPhone for ~9 months. I DO use it in place of a case, continuously. I’ll admit that I don’t know what, if anything, this has done to my internal battery. But I disagree that this type of use is “not recommended”. There’s nothing to that effect in Mophie’s product information; indeed, their “Juicepack Air” model completely encloses the iPhone, and is quite obviously intended to serve as a case.

I’ve always understood that lithium ion/polymer batteries actually do tolerate continuous charging very well, at least as long as it’s regulated. They’re certainly often used that way, e.g., iPods that typically sit in a dock, or laptops that rarely leave the desk…